Eastside Cafe

Last week we visited East Side Cafe which is located on Manor Rd just east of I-35. This is one spot we had been dying to try out! We tried last week but left due to the one hour wait! The waitress suggested we make reservations ahead of time. And so we did.

2113 Manor Road, Austin, TX.

East Side Cafe is a beautiful little restaurant that is housed inside an old wooden framed home. I love these type of places which are common to Austin. I was born and raised in South Texas, and this is something I'd never seen until I moved here. I LOVE it! Anyhow, we arrived at 1pm just in time for our reservations. I noticed a few groups waiting to be seated. We went to the hostess and we were jumped right to our table. Sorry guys! We were seated and began browsing the brunch menu. The menu covers everything a proper brunch should offer. Egg dishes, salads, sandwiches, as well as a variety of entrees. Very diverse and something for everyone. I was in egg mode, so my eyes zeroed in on the Eggs Florentine. Which is two poached eggs and creamy spinach sauce on English muffins, topped with hollandaise sauce. It is served with a side of homefries and a blueberry bran muffin. Lisa decided on something on the sweet side, and went with the Blueberry Blintzes, which is crepes sweetened with ricotta and cream cheese, topped with blueberry sauce and sour cream. YUM! That is served with a side of bacon or cheese grits. She chose the bacon.

Eggs Benedict

Blueberry Blintzes

As we waited for our food, we admired our surroundings. Guys, you can definitely score high points by bringing a first date, (OR girlfriend or wife) to a spot like this. And ladies, this is definitely a cute place you and your girlfriends can meet for brunch or lunch, or for your next mother-daughter outing. Anyway, our food arrived and it looked amazing. It was plated well and had a great presentation. My Eggs benedict were some of the best I've had, and i'm a sucker for some good homefries and these were on point! However, I have to say the best part of our experience was Lisa's order of Blueberry Blitzes. They were obviously made in house and hand crafted very well! The cheeses and the blueberry sauce complimented each other just right. What an explosion of flavors!

Overall, East Side Cafe is a must! I was super impressed with their food and left with a big smile on my face. We will definitely be back for more.

Takoba

This weekend the girlfriend and I were looking to hit up East Side Austin for some brunch. We also had plans to catch up with our friend and fellow dog-centric business owner, Kristen. We decided on Takoba. This was our third time visiting Takoba, but our first for brunch. 

1610 E. 7th St., Austin, TX
Photo: austin.eater.com

We arrived at 1:00 and were quickly seated indoors. The place was packed, but there was no wait - always a good thing! We ordered our drinks and perused the menu while we waited for Kristen to arrive. She did and after a few minutes we were all ready to order. I decided on the chilaquiles, scrambled eggs with fried tortilla chips tossed with onions and red chile sauce, topped with queso fresco. All that with a side of potatoes and refried beans. The girlfriend decided to go with her all time favorite, Migas. Scrambled eggs with fried tortilla chips tossed with onions and monterey jack cheese. Also served with a side of potatoes and refried beans. Similar to the chilaquiles, sans the red chile sauce. Kristen was a little more adventurous, and decided to go with the Barria De Borrego Estilo Aguascaliente. Which was braised lamb with lime, cilantro, and onion. This was served with warm tortillas and a side of consomme. We caught up and talked dog business while we waited for our food to arrive. 

Chilaquiles

Migas

Birria De Borrego Estillo Aguascalientes

Our food was soon served and everything looked appealing to the eye. But would we be disappointed with the taste? I tried my chilaquiles and they were pretty good. Definitely not the best I've had, but pretty damn good. The red chile sauce was great, not to hot, but rich in flavor. My girlfriend's migas were pretty good, but she said she'd rather have my chilaquiles, go figure. Kristen's plate looked good, the girlfriend and I aren't fans of lamb, but we had to try it out. Not too bad! But i'm just not into anything that tastes to gamey.


To sum it all up, we all enjoyed our food and the service was good. I do have to say in my opinion I think their dinner is much better than their brunch. But it is definitely worth trying at least once.

Papi Tino's

1306 E. Sixth Street, Austin

Today I decided to hit up East Sixth Street for my weekly brunch spot - Papi Tino's to be exact. This place is a little hard to find, as the restaurant name is nowhere to be found outside. Look for an old white frame house, the address is posted on a small wooden sign hanging on a tree.

Papi Tino's is a really cool spot, and I'd say a cute place to take a first date for brunch or dinner and make a good impression. There's a choice of indoor or outdoor seating, or you can also order and eat at the bar. It was a nice day and all outdoor seating was full, so we found a table inside. A piano player banged out some tunes as we entered...very nice!

Michelada 

The waiter was prompt and quickly asked if it was our first visit (it was). He proceeded to tell us how Papi Tino's uses fresh and local ingredients and took our drink order. While most folks enjoy mimosas or a bloody mary with their brunch, I'm more of a michelada kind of guy. My girlfriend went with the mimosa with agua de fruta and I went with the michelada with a Pacifico cerveza, served on ice. I get laughs when I say I'm a connoisseur of things, but I'm dead serious when I tell you that I'm a connoisseur of micheladas. I've had them all over the state of Texas and Mexico, and let me tell you Papi Tino's makes a MEAN ONE! So if they are your thing, you must try them here.



The Brunch menu is simple but effective. A few egg dishes, chilaquiles, enchiladas (suizas, rojas, de mole) and ceviche of the day. I was here for one thing - the chilaquiles. A few days ago my girlfriend showed me a picture of them that someone shared on twitter. I was sold, hence the trip today! Papi Tino's serves a traditional take on chilaquiles, and offers them tossed in your choice of salsa verde or roja. They are served with their homemade tortilla chips, cheese, chicken and mexican cream. Both my girlfriend and I had the same thing in mind, so she went with the roja and I went with the verde. They were both great! The chips were crisp and tasty, and not soggy, which is a must for real chilaquiles. The cheese was nicely melted and the chicken was tender. The only thing I'd like to note is that the verde version is a little spicier than the roja, but if you don't mind a little extra heat, I'd choose the verde which is tomatillo based. Either way you can't go wrong, it's just a matter of preference.

Do yourself a favor and check out Papi Tino's. I'll be stopping by for dinner soon!

Chilaquiles with salsa verde

Chilaquiles with salsa roja and huevos